Manohar Publishers and Distributors: 08/27/12

In the Days of Cages

By- Aparna Lanjewar Bose

A dazzling new collection of poems by a remarkably gifted poet whose vision penetrates to unravel, expose and cauterize the stereotypes in a uniquely individualistic style. Rejecting formalism of elites these verses appear disarmingly simple, direct but too often profound and significantly complex to communicate.

Without the danger of stunning nostalgia there is resistance and reflection and a discernible sociopolitical consciousness besides a regular reproach of the self whose seemingly endless search for belonging, and meaning and sanity collides with a disjointed, base, absurd and insensitive world.

Tender, confessional, joyous, painful, disturbing, rebellious and provocative, the poems in this volume celebrate humanity and womanhood in all its complexities.

Aparna Lanjewar Bose (b. 1971) is a trilingual writer, poet, translator and activist. She teaches English Literature at the Postgraduate teaching department of University of Mumbai and resides in Mumbai.

ISBN 978-81-7304-848-8 2010 144p. Rs.250/ pounds 35

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The Forgotten Mughals: A History of the Later Emperors of the House of Babar (1707-1857)

By- G.S. Cheema

A hundred and fifty years lie between the death of Aurangzeb and the final extinction of the Mughal empire. In its first hundred and fifty years the empire had seen six rulers, but during the next century and a half the Qila-i-Mualla would witness the passage of as many as eleven emperors – if one leaves out the six or seven failed pretenders. It was a period of violence and disorder, with armies constantly on the march across a landscape of increasing misery, impoverishment, and desolation. The Forgotten Mughals is the story of these largely pageant emperors with their increasingly ineffectual ministers, and their gradual decline into irrelevance while younger and more powerful forces, both Indian and foreign, grappled with each other for the mastery of Hindostan.

The landmark events like the wars of succession, the dictatorship of the Syed brothers, the Nadir Shahi and Durrani invasions with their attendant horrors, the bloodbath of Panipat and the final sack of Delhi in 1857 are all covered in detail. The book’s strength lies in its anecdotal details, like that of young Muhammad Shah, hiding behind the ample skirts of the formidable Sadr un-Nissa, superintendent of the harem, and of Bidar Dil cowering in a closet, while the emissaries of Qutb-ul-Mulk tried, in vain, to convince his women that they had, in fact, come to call him to the throne. And who will believe today that, as part of the ‘retributive justice’ of the British, for nearly twenty years the Zinat masjid in Daryaganj was used as a bakery, and that the basement of the Fatehpuri mosque was sold to Seth Chuna Mall?

G.S. Cheema was born in Ranchi and is presently a senior civil servant belonging to the Punjab cadre of the Indian Administrative Service which he joined in 1972. He lives in Chandigarh.

ISBN 81-7304-601-8 2012 552p. Rs.450/ pounds 27.5

Europe in Transition: From Feudalism to Industrialization

By- Arvind Sinha

The developments in Europe from the late-fifteenth till the end of the eighteenth century represented a crucial phase in the emergence of the modern world. Scholars refer to this period as ‘early modern’ and this expression is often associated with ‘the rise of the modern west’.

The pace of change gained momentum during this period undermining the roots of the feudal society. The economic transformation pushed Europe towards capitalism. The forces of change could be located in the diverse spheres of human activities although the scale of change varied from one region to another. The transformation of local economies into the larger European market economy, the geographical discoveries and the new sea routes resulted in the creation of colonial empires based on new forms of exploitation.

The rise of nation-states under absolute rulers replaced the decentralized feudal structure. Discoveries in arts and sciences and the religious movements opened up new mental horizons which gave birth to new social attitudes, cultural patterns and scientific outlook. At the same time, the negative trends during this period such as the rise of slave trade, new forms of exploitation and a wild craze for witch-hunting are also included in the discussion.

This book adopts an interpretive approach and tries to explain what led to the dislocation of centuries-old social order and the emergence of new social classes. This volume is required reading for students of Modern/European history and culture.

Arvind Sinha is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has Taught European History to Graduate and Post-Graduate students in Delhi University. He was an associate in Eurindia Project (an EC project), from 2003 and a Fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum & Library from 2005.

ISBN 978-81-7304-843-2 2010 782p. Rs.995/ Pounds 95

The Autobiography of Indulal Yagnik (Set)

Volume 1: Part One: Life’s Development | Part Two: New Life in Gujarat

Volume 2: Part One: Imprisonments | Part Two: Life’s Struggle

Volume 3: Part One: Peasant Stories | Part Two: Last Streams

By- Devavrat N. Pathak, Howard Spodek and John R. Wood (Translators)

Indulal Yagnik’s Autobiography is an indispensable key to understanding: modern Gujarat and many of its leading personalities; the congress organization of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Morarji Desai; grass root peasant and tribal movements and their clash with the Congress; international dimensions of the freedom struggle; the Mahagujarat movement for a separate Gujarat state. On a more personal level, it reveals a brilliant but ‘unstable’ soul searching for his place in an unsupportive family and a political world that he found stifling, but with an array of friends and causes which sustained him.

These volumes reveal Indulal’s evolution from a young man of the elite Nagar Brahmin caste exploring the byways of his hometown of Nadiad; winning a series of scholarships to study philosophy, science, and law; beginning a life-long commitment to journalism by establishing Navajivan ane Satya, and later turning it over to Gandhi and moving to Ahemedabad; losing out in political struggles with Patel and deserting the movement; taking up filmmaking in Bombay; spending five years in England and Europe spreading propaganda for – and sometimes against – the Congress; returning to India to organize peasants and tribals and finally undertaking the defining struggle of his later years, the campaign for a separate state for Gujarat. Indulal presents his inner struggles and his relationships with friends and colleagues with unusual candour. From its first publication, Indulal’s Autobiography was regarded as a classic of Gujarati literature, politics, and culture. Now English readers can share in its richness.

Devavrat N. Pathak (1920-2006) served as a Professor in and Chair of the School of Social Sciences, Gujarat University; Vice-Chancellor of Saurashtra University; and Director of the Gandhi Peace Research Centre of the Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad.

Howard Spodek is a Professor of History at Temple University, Philadelphia, USA.

John R. Wood is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Centre for India and South Asia Research, University of British Columbia.

ISBN 978-81-7304-897-5 2011 1824p(set) Rs.2500/ pounds 275(set)

MANOHAR PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
4753/23 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002
Phones: 23284848, 23289100
Fax: 23265162
E-mail: manbooks@vsnl.com
sales@manoharbooks.com

To order your copy at www.manoharbooks.com

27 August, 2012

In the Days of Cages

The Forgotten Mughals: A History of the Later Emperors of the House of Babar (1707-1857)

Europe in Transition: From Feudalism to Industrialization

The Autobiography of Indulal Yagnik (Set)